It takes eyes to see
by WeLoveToHit
Summary: I've been running for all these years. Never stopping, never looking back. It's about time I turned around and face what I've come to fear and hate. F/A NEW TITLE! AGAIN! *ALSO ON HIATUS*
1. Not right

Told you that I would update a new story! Well… here it is!!

On with the show!!

_Spend all your time waiting_

_For that second chance_

_For a break that would make it okay_…

The captain didn't have a problem with them getting married; in fact, he said it was about time. He'd been watching them at the precinct. They worked exceptionally well with each other, everyone knew that. They got the job done in time, but didn't let their relationship get in the way.

They'd had been married for 5 years now. And 3 years ago, they had a little miracle of their own. Nicoli Andrew Flack. Nicoli was born premature, a month early. Flack and Angell almost didn't make it to the hospital in time, but Nicoli was successfully delivered and was born healthy. He looked exactly like his father, except for the eyes. They weren't blue, but a deep brown. Nicoli inherited his father's face, even his grin.

Even though Angell had changed her last name to Flack, everyone still called her by her maiden name. And as for Flack, people just couldn't get over the fact that he had a wife and was now a father. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

Nicoli fished out the cheerio's in his cereal bowl. Sticking the spiderman spoon in his mouth, Nicoli pushed the bowl away. "I is all done eatin!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Flack walked out of the kitchen, wiping a plate dry with a dish towel. "Inside voice, Nic. Don't you remember what we talked about yesterday?" Flack asked, pulling his son out of his booster seat.

"Oh yeah." Nicoli said, running over to a large window and pressing his nose against it. "Neighbours sleepin."

Flack nodded and placed the plate in the cupboard. After pouring himself a cup of coffee, Flack walked over to where Nicoli was standing, his nose still pressed against the window.

"Let's get you dressed, Nic. Then we'll decide what to do today." Flack told Nicoli, who had already started to run down the hall towards his room.

"Where does that kid get all that energy from?" Flack said to himself as he walked into the red and blue painted room. Even though Nicoli was only 2 and a half, he loved everything and anything that had to do with the New York Rangers. Bed sheets, blankets, clothing, poster, he had them all. He couldn't wait till he turned 5, when Flack said that he and Angell would take him to his very first Rangers game.

"Can I wear it today, dad?" Nicoli asked, holding a (you guessed it!)Rangers' jersey in his hands. Nicoli's brown eyes filled with glee as he saw Flack nod. Pulling the jersey over the head of black hair, Nicoli started running all around the room.

"What are you doing?"

Nicoli stopped in the middle of the room and put his hands on his hips. A move he had inherited from his mother. "I is zambonin' my room!"

Flack laughed and was about to comment on Nicoli's answer when there was a loud ring. Flack walked over to the family room, Nicoli following close behind. Picking the phone of the coffee table, Flack looked at the caller id. Recognizing the number, he handed the phone to his son. "Do you want to get it?"

Nicoli gladly accepted the phone and pressed the talk button. "Hello?" He asked, holding the phone in two hands. Suddenly his face lit up. "Oh, hi mommy!... I'm good… Okay, here's dad." Nicoli handed Flack the phone. "It's for you."

Flack took the phone out of Nicoli's outstretched hands and put it to his ear. "Hey, Jess. What's up?"

"_We just got a weird case down here, Don. I don't really know what it's about, but Mac and the captain seem to know. They want both of us down there." _Angell's voice came through the other end. Something defiantly wasn't right.

"Alright then. Do you want me to bring Nic?"

Suddenly there were other voices on the other line. _"Mac said he would like to meet us in his office. I guess Nic can hand out with Adam in the break room, I_ _think he's on his break right now. So then I'll see you in a few minutes?"_

Flack nodded his head out of habit. "Sure, we'll be there in 10. I love you." Flack said, ending the phone call.

Flack placed the phone back on the coffee table and turned to Nicoli. "Hey, bud. Can you get your coat please? We're gonna go see mom at work for a few minutes."

Nicoli jumped off the couch and flashed him a smile. Going over to closet, Nicoli wrenched the doors open and pulled his coat off a hanger. Plopping himself on the floor, Nicoli pulled his shoes over his socks and wiggled his feet.

Flack glanced over at the clock on the wall. "You ready, Nic?"

Nicoli jumped up from the floor, giving Flack a thumbs up. "Ready! Let's get the show on the road!"

FAFAFAFAFAFAFA

Flack had dropped Nicoli off with Adam. As long as they stayed in the break room, Nicoli (and Adam) should be fine. Flack walked down the well lit hallway towards Mac's office.

"I got here as fast as I could." Flack said as he opened the glass door. "Nic's with Adam. So what's this case all about?"

Mac opened a file folder that was on his desk. "We just received this case this morning. Stella, Danny, and Lindsay are still processing the scene; they just had these pictures sent over. Christina Stevens was shot dead in her own home, execution style."

Angell pulled the case file closer to herself to get a better look at a gruesome photo. "So what does this have to do with me and Don?"

"Well, it has to do more with you." The captain stood up from a chair. "Christina Stevens was the mother of five; her youngest a daughter, the rest of her children were boys."

"What are you trying to get to here?"

The captain sighed. "The daughter was found alive at the scene. She saw the whole thing, from the floor of a closet." The captain picked up a box from the floor and placed it on the desk. "Here's an unsolved case from 22 years ago. These two cases are nearly identical. Family of seven, mother shot in the back of the head, the daughter found in a closet. Is this starting to get somewhat familiar?"

"Vaguely." Angell started to sift through the contents until she came upon a picture. "You said that this case was from 22 years ago?" Angell scanned the picture with her eyes, going over every inch of the image. It did look familiar. Angell's eyes widen with horror. The picture slipped out of her hand and onto the floor.

"Please tell me you're joking." Angell's voice came out shaking. "Are you sure this is right?"

"Positive, but that's not all." Mac said, sliding a piece of paper forward. "This note was found at the crime scene." Angell's eyes briefly skimmed the note. She covered her mouth with a hand and walked out of the room, shaking her head.

Flack picked the paper off the desk and looked at the cursive writing. "Son of a bitch." Flack whispered, flinging the paper back onto the desk. Flack cursed under his breath again and started to jog after Angell.

"Jess, Jess! Please slow down!" Flack yelled at Angell's back. "Jess, what's going on?"

"You saw that. You saw that note, that writing! Do you know what that means?" Angell half yelled, pointing in the direction of Mac's office.

Ignoring the looks from the lab techs, Flack pulled Angell into a tight hug. "I would if you told me."

"Damn it, it's been 22 years! I thought he'd be gone! He just killed an innocent person!"

Flack grabbed Angell's shoulders. "Jess, you need to calm down! Who's back?"

Angell took a deep breath. "It's been 22 years, I didn't see what he looked like! That unsolved case they were talking about? That's mine. The daughter they talked about, that's me! That bastard killed my mom! I will not calm down! You saw that note! You know what it means!"

FAFAFAFAFAFAFA

The captain crossed his arms and began to pace Mac's office. "So what do we do now, Taylor?"

Mac picked the paper of his desk, the words burned into his mind. "We catch him."

_To my dear Jessica_

_I didn't see you that fateful night; it's a shame you had to see what happened. You were only 14 then, correct? If you think that doesn't matter, then you're dead wrong. I will find you, trust me, your family too. And I will kill you. Don't think that I don't know about you. I know everything. Just remember, your father is to blame. He caused it all._

Hmm… well then. That's the end of chapter one. I wasn't very pleased with the ending, but oh well. Tell me what you think. Thanks!

Yeslek

P.S.

Did anyone see the promo for 5x12? I did! Flack to the rescue! Can't wait for Wednesday! I'm practically jumped I my seat!

Later! (again)


	2. Every little detail

*Comes into the room in a tank* Don't shoot! I'm very, very, very, very, very, very, very (I think you get my drift) sorry! I didn't mean to be so late on the update! It's just that I was busy! I had a basketball tourney (we got second… again) on the weekend, and I also have another tourney this weekend. My science class had to get into groups and make retarded music videos; my group's video is called 'Some Cake'. Everyone thought it was hilarious!

On with the show!

_There's always some reason_

_To not feel good enough_

_And it's hard at the end of the day_…

"This must be really hard for Jess, I mean getting kicked off the case and all." Lindsay said as she leaned over to look through a microscope.

"Yeah, I know." Danny agreed. "I know what she's feeling like, when Louis was beat up and all."

Lindsay sighed and put her hands on the glass table. "I can see why they haven't caught this guy. He does a good job at cleaning up, unfortunately. I didn't find a single hair or fingerprint other than the victim's and the rest of the family. And we've tried talking to the witness, but she's not saying a word."

Danny suddenly snapped his fingers. "I got it! Why don't we get Angell to talk to the daughter? She went through exactly the same thing, Angell might know what to say."

Lindsay tucked a honey-brown piece of hair behind her ear. "You know what, Messer? You might be onto something. For once you actually had a good idea."

Danny shrugged his shoulder. "Why thank… hey! When are my ideas not good?"

Lindsay patted Danny's shoulder. "Oh, I could name a few." Lindsay took a paper off of a printer. "But like I said, Jess was kicked off the case. Are we even allowed to do that?"

Again, Danny shrugged. "Don't know, but it's worth a shot."

FAFAFA

Whenever Angell interrogated suspects, she usually had them talking in minutes. But this girl, like Lindsay had said, not a single word out of her. The girl occasionally sniffed or scratched at her elbow, but other than that, nothing. Not a squeak, peep, or any other sound indicating that she was about to talk.

"Look, lady." She said, finally talking. "I didn't tell those other cops anything. What makes you think I'll tell you?"

_Polite, aren't we? _Angell thought to herself. "What makes you think that I'm like the others? I know what you're going through right now. Trust me, you'll talk when you're good and ready." Angell replied, propping her elbows on the table.

"But a cop none the less. And how would you know? You're what, 20 years older than me? You wouldn't get it."

_Touché. _Angell sighed. "I've heard that bit before. Believe me, I understand. Just because I'm older than you doesn't mean that I won't get it. I can see we're getting nowhere, so I'm going to tell you a little something. You see, I was 14 when my mom died too. She was killed, murdered to be exact. And you know what? I saw it happen. I was there.

"Whoa. So you're the one those other cops have been talking about huh?"

Angell nodded. "22 years ago, I was in the exact same spot that you're in now. I didn't get what was going on, and to tell you the truth, I was and still am scared. But you have to realize something. Your friends and family will always be there for you, you just have to talk to them, make them understand. That's why we need your help, Maddie. Anything, anything you remember about that night, you need to tell me so that other people won't get hurt."

Maddie Stevens then told Angell all about what she remembered. Went to school, came home from school, nothing out of the ordinary. She went up to her parents' bedroom because she needed help with homework. She only stepped into the room for a moment when she was shoved into the back of the closet. It was quiet for a few minutes when a gunshot suddenly rang out.

"You know you're really brave for telling me this." Angell smiled, sliding a card across the table towards Maddie. "Here's my card. If you have any questions or just need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to call." Angell tapped the ink, the smile still on her lips.

"Detective Jessica Flack. That's cool." Maddie whispered, fingering the lettering.

Angell laughed, her eyes drifting towards a backpack on the floor.

"Rangers, huh? They your favorite team?" Maddie nodded, shifting in the hard, uncomfortable chair. "They're my son's favorite too. Do you play at all?"

"Yeah, I've been playing since I was 5. I play defense." Maddie's eyes lit up.

"Wow, you and I have much more in common that I thought."

FAFAFAFAFA

Angell quietly shut the heavy door behind her. That had gone much smoother than she had expected.

"Did you get anything that might help us?" Mac asked, looking through the one-way window.

"Really, it's pretty much the same as what I saw, not saying that it was much. Except this time the guy looked older. 40 year old guy with salt-n-pepper hair and an extremely ugly beard that could defiantly use a good shave."

"And there's only what? A few million people with that description?" Danny said, crossing his arms. "C'mon, Angell. You sure that's all she said?"

"I'm positive. Why, you don't like how I do my job, Messer?" Angell folded her arms across her chest. "She's scared. She's just experienced the worst event in her life. You can't expect her to remember every little detail."

"Well if you would be more forceful, you would be able to get more that what you did!"

Angell coiled her fists up in anger. "She's just 14, Danny! You have to deal with some people differently than others!" Angell pushed past Danny. "I should really get going, Mac. I have to pick up Nicoli up from Don's mother's."

"Why do you always have to get on her case?" Mac said. "You know she did all she could. Or did you forget that Jessica is going through the same thing all over again?"

FAFAFAFAFA

The smell of chocolate chip cookies filled Angell's nostrils. The Flack's (Don's parents) home always smelled like those mouthwatering treats. Then again, Ingrid Flack was constantly baking.

"Thanks again for looking after Nicoli, Mrs. Flack." Angell said, walking through the front door.

A short woman with grey hair and deep blue eyes then came into view. Please, Jessica. You and Don have been married for 5 years. Please, call me Ingrid. And besides, I love spending time with the little one."

Angell nodded as Nicoli ran around the corner, flour in his hair.

"Momma! Did you see what me and Nonna made?" Nicoli said happily, hugging at Angell's legs.

"Yes, yes I did. She even gave us some of the cookies to take home so that Nonno won't eat them all. Angell dusted the flour out of Nicoli's hair. "Go get your coat then we'll go home, okay?"

Angell sighed and ran her hand through her hair as Nicoli disappeared.

"Did you tell him yet?" Ingrid lightly touched Angell on the shoulder.

"Who? Don or Nicoli?"

"Both. You know you have to tell them sometime, this can't wait forever."

"I know. But Nicoli, he's just too young to understand the whole murder thing. And Don…" Angell shook her head. "I just don't know how to tell him. I'm not even sure myself. Anyways, it's just way too risky."

FAFAFAFA

The neighborhood the Flack's lived in was a quiet one. Almost all the people knew each other and would frequently visit with another while the children played at the large park nearby.

"So what else did you and Nonna do today?" Angell asked, looking at the rearview mirror.

"Um… we went to the park and feed ducks some bread." Nicoli kicked his feet against the car seat. "And we made cookies!"

Angell laughed slightly and pulled into the driveway. After turning the ignition off and opening the driver side door, Angell started to unbuckle Nicoli when she noticed that the front door to the house stood ajar.

"Nic, stay in the car and keep your head down." Angell took her glock out of the holster on her hip.

Nicoli nodded without a word and sunk so low that he seemed to have disappeared.

Angell slowly walked towards the house, leaves crunching beneath her feet. Her breath came out in puffs up white. Walking the front steps, Angell pushed the door with her foot and raised the gun to eyelevel.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. No broken vases, no broken windows, nothing missing out of any of the drawers. In fact, everything seemed normal. But that's the problem. _Nothing_ was out of place. You would think that if your house was broken into, _something _would be missing.

"Okay, this is a little creepy."

The clock, a gift from Flack's father, ticked on the wall. Though the object usually made an annoying sound, it could not be heard. A sudden bang echoed throughout the empty house. Angell instantly ducked preparing for the worst. But something wasn't right. The bang was too heavy for it to have been a gunshot, and too crisp to have been a bomb. Where did it come from?

A breath caught in Angell's throat as a single foot stepped around the corner.

_That's the end of chapter 2! I hope you liked it!_ _I'm about 4 pages into writing the third chapter, I should be able to update tomorrow or Sunday_

_So we just finished playing our first game in the tourney, but sadly, we lost. 41-31. So we play again at 8:30! Did I mention that it's in the evening? Ugh! We're gonna be there till 10pm!_

_Don't forget to review! _

_Yeslek_


	3. Author's note

Just wanted to give everyone the heads up that this story will no longer be called 'Nobody's Home'. Instead, it will be called 'Arms of an Angel'. I was listening to this song and thought it was wonderful and would fit my story much better than the previous title. So from now on, this story is called 'Arms of an Angel'.

By the way, this song is by Sarah McLachlan. You should listen to it!

Yeslek


	4. Permission is key

I'm so sorry for the slow update… again. If you haven't already noticed, this story is now called 'Arms of an Angel'. Like I said, I thought it fit better. Any who…

On with the story!

_I need some distraction_

_Oh a beautiful release_

_Memory seeps from my veins…_

"What the hell are you doing in my house, Dierks?" Angell growled, placing her gun back in its holster.

Dierks took another step forward. He shoved his hands into his pockets, hanging in his head. "Well, I-I… The department needed someone to check out your house before you got back. And I-I volunteered to."

Angell put her hands on her hips. "You volunteered my ass! Don't you think that someone would have told me? Well guess what? No one did! I have a good mind to charge you with break and entering!"

Dierks put his hands up in surrender. "Honestly, the department did ask. I wouldn't have done it without-"

Angell quickly spun around on her heels, cutting Dierks off in mid-sentence. Going out the front door, Angell made her way to the car unlocking it with a press of a button. She opened the car door halfway when Nicoli tumbled out, giggling as he landed in a pile of leaves.

"Mommy, who's that in the house? Are you and dad having a party? "Nicoli asked, throwing the bright colored leaves in the air. "Because I love parties, 'specially birthdays!"

Angell smiled slightly as she picked Nicoli up off the ground. Walking back into the house, she slammed the front door shut with her foot. Angell gently placed Nicoli on the floor, who then took off, running down the hall.

"I gotta go!" he shouted.

Angell sighed and turned her attention back to Dierks, who had his hands back in his pockets.

"I swear if you come into this house without my or Don's permission again…" Angell wavered on the last word, shaking her head.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. I'll be toast." Dierks started to walk towards the front door. "I guess I'll see you late, then."

Angell watched as Dierks disappeared as the door shut. Hearing soft footsteps behind her, Angell turned around and saw Nicoli, a not-so-innocent look on his face.

"Did you wash your hands?"

Nicoli quickly nodded, placing his hands behind his back. "You sure?" Angell raised an eyebrow. Nicoli groaned and stomped back to the bathroom. Satisfied that she had caught Nicoli in the act, Angell bent over and began to pick up some discarded toys when the phone suddenly rang.

Angell picked the phone off the coffee table, expecting it to be Flack. "Hello?" She asked, putting the phone to her ear.

Nothing could be heard except for a low, labored sound. "Hello?" Angell asked again, but once more, nothing. Angell glanced down at the caller id. _Private number._

"Damn prank callers." Angell muttered to herself, throwing the phone on the couch.

"No say that. Bad word." A voice said from behind. Angell turned around to see Nicoli wiping his hands on the front of his shirt. "Unca Danny says no say dat, even though I hear him say it all da time."

ARMSOFANANGEL

It was about 11:30 at night when Flack had gotten home. He probably would've stayed longer if it hadn't been for Stella.

"Go home. Jess and Nicoli need you." She had said.

Flack walked up the front steps, the porch light shining brightly in his face. He opened the door quietly so that he wouldn't wake anyone up. Kicking his shoes off his feet, Flack lifted his head to see Angell curled up on the couch, a book in her hands.

"Why you still awake?" Flack shrugged his jacket off his shoulders. "I thought that you'd be asleep by now."

Angell snapped the book shut. "Can't. But don't worry it. It's nothing." Angell smiled weakly, making room for Flack on the couch. "So how's the case going?"

"It's hardly going at all. We got no hits with the bullet, no suspects, no hits in AFIS, CODIS, or any other words with 'IS' in it. The captain's pretty pissed, though. He didn't like that you interviewed the witness. Said it was uncalled for or somethin' like that."

"Bah. Tough shit for him then." Angell said, laying her head on Flack's chest.

Angell sighed and closed her eyes, listening to the rise and fall of Flack's breathing. "This whole case, it's all so confusing. Here's this killer running free on the streets while I have to sit on my ass and do nothing, I'm tired of it, I feel helpless, and there's not a damn thing I can do about.'

'It was hard when my mom was killed, you know. Especially hard when I graduated high school when I was 18. All my friends were celebrating and so happy that their parents were there, both of them. My own father didn't even go."

Flack pulled Angell closer to his body, trying to give her some support and comfort. That's kind of sad; your own dad not going to your graduation.

"Hey, it's not that sad. You don't have to cry about it." Angell looked at Flack, who quickly shook his head to rid his face of any tears.

"I am not crying." He stated.

"Sure, not anymore." Angell poked at Flack's shoulder. "But you were, I saw. Don't deny it, Mr. Sensitive."

Flack chuckled and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The family room was barely lit except for the single lamp on the end table.

"Don, can I tell you something?"

"Of course you can. What is it?" He asked moving himself so that his arms were resting on the edge of the couch.

"It's kind of important… No, wait…. It's really important…."

"Hey it's just you and me here, no one to be afraid of. What do you want to tell me?"

"Well I don't know, sometimes you look kind of scary in the morning." Angell half-laughed. "I…"

"Mommy?"

Angell stretched her neck to see over the top of the couch. There, in the middle of the hall, stood Nicoli, clutching a stuffed teddy bear.

"Nic, it's way past your bedtime. Why are you still up?" Angell stood, throwing the blanket off her body.

"There's a monster outside."

"You sure about that? Do you want me to check?" Angell started to walk towards Nicoli's bedroom. Nicoli nodded once, following his mother back down the hall.

Angell flicked the bedroom light on, giving the room a soft glow. Angell walked over to the window, peering out into the darkness. "Don't worry Nic, there's nothing there…"

ARMSOFANANGEL

_4 sheep… 5 sheep… 6 sheep… 7 sheep… 8 sheep… 9 sheep…_

"Don!" The sudden yell aroused Flack from his attempt at sleep. Sighing, Flack pushed himself off the couch and stumbled towards the bedroom.

"What cha' yelling about? I was almost asleep, I…" Flack stopped in mid-sentence when he saw how pale Angell's face had turned.

"Look out the w-window." The words came out shaking.

Flack went over to the window, curious as to what had made Angell scared. Looking out the window, Flack scanned he yard with his eyes, Finally he saw something laying in the middle of the yard. After letting his eyes adjust to the dark, he squinted to gain a sharper focus on the object.

"Shit. Jess, get Mac on the phone. "I think we have his next case."

ARMSOFANANGEL

"Not exactly the place I wanted to be at this early in the morning. 1:30, that's way too early for me." Danny mumbled, ducking under the crime tape. "So what do we got?"

"White male, approximately 65 years old. There's a gunshot wound to the head, most likely how he died. But his face is so mangled up that it's hard to tell." Mac pointed at the victim's face, which was indeed so torn up, it was hard to tell if he was a man at all. (Okay that kinda sounds weird.)

"Who found the victim?"

"Technically, Nicoli did. Don said that Nicoli claimed that there was a monster outside, turns out it was this guy." Mac pointed towards Nicoli, who was in Angell's arm, fast asleep.

Mac bent over the body and picked something off the grass beside the body. "Found his wallet." He said aloud, opening the new-found object, Mac stared at the id and mentally cursed.

Danny stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked over Mac's shoulder. "Son of a bitch." He muttered, staring at the name.

"What a day, huh?" Flack said, wrapping his arm around Angell's shoulders. "Now we got a body to complete it."

"This is just so stupid. This is just another thing that I don't want to be a part of. What else could go wrong?" Angell muttered, not really talking to anyone in particular.

"Hey, I just remembered something. What was it that you were telling me before? You never finished."

Nicoli slightly stirred, but then fell asleep right away. Angell sat down on the front steps. "Oh right." Angell sighed. "I…"

"Hey Flack and Flack!"

Angell groaned. _Interrupted again! _

"Did you get an id on the vic?" Flack asked, watching Danny and Mac walk closer towards them. Mac nodded, a solemn expression on his face.

"Jess, it's you father."

ARMSOFANANGEL

What! I can't help it if I keep leaving you with little cliffhangers! Okay, maybe I can help it, but it always seems to turn out that way! I might be able to update later this week, since I have it off. But I'm not promising, I not that punctual! I'm sorry about the spacing..again!

Please review!

Yeslek. =)


	5. The great Jessica Flack

_*comes into the room in a tank* Um…………… hi everybody! Wow that was sorta lame, wasn't it? To make this short, just imagine me saying sorry a bazillion times. I really appreciate all of you who stuck by this story and sent reviews. I would say thank you but then we'd be here all day (or night, whatever time zone you're in). By the way, all the characters are now 3 years younger, except for Nicoli. I switched his age to 4. Sorry if it confuses you, but it made more sense in my mind. Oh yeah, Danny and Lindsay are married and have already had Lucy._

_Enjoy!!_

_P.S._

_Montana Angell, I give you permission to use that sledgehammer of yours, just let me get a 30 days head start._

FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA

_They may be empty and weightless and maybe_

_I'll find some peace tonight….._

The flashing red and blue lights were bright in her eyes. Everything suddenly turned fuzzy. Sound was reduced to nothing. There were people all around, nothing but silence coming out of their mouths.

"No, no that can't be right. I-I just talk to him on the phone this morning. He-he…" Jess stuttered, her head in her hands. "This can't be happening."

"It'll be alright, Jessie." Don said softly, sitting down beside his wife.

"No, no it won't be. He's dead, Don." Jess looked up, her eyes red and swollen from crying. "And it's my fault. I know it is."

"It's not-"

"But it is! If I just would've seen the bastard in the first place this wouldn't be happening!" Jess sobbed, a curtain of dark hair falling across her face. "This is so not the best time…"

'Not the best time for what, Jess?" Don put an arm around her shoulders. "What is it?"

"Well you know that thing I've been meaning to tell you?" she watched as Don nodded his head. Jess hugged her arms tightly to her body and sighed. "I-I'm- I'm gonna be sick."

As if on cue, a bucket was immediately placed in Jess' hands. Don gently pulled her hair back as she emptied her stomach contents into the bucket.

"Well so much for that." Jess muttered, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I still can't believe it. Dad's dead…"

"It's gonna be alright, Jess. We're gonna get this guy." Don whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.

"We damn well better." Jess sniffed, burying her head in Don's shoulder. "I don't think I could handle it if we didn't."

* * *

The lights swayed and flickered as Jess sat quietly at her desk the next morning. People had come and gone, giving her their condolence. Jess pressed her cheek against the cool wood of the desk. The captain had offered her some time off, for her to recollect her thoughts. But she had politely declined.

"I don't know what I'd do with myself." She had told him.

Being in the situation that she was in, the department had taken Jess off of the case, her being involved. Despite the arguing and pleas, Jess had been placed with an entirely different team of detectives, people she hardly had any recognition with at all.

The cause of death had pretty much been oblivious, gunshot wound to the head. The cuts and bruises had come beforehand, as had the defensive wounds. After much facial reconstruction, the victim was indeed Jess' father. There were only two questions, who killed him and how did the former Detective Sergeant end up like this?

Past memories of her father flashed in Jess' eyes. Him cheering in the stands as she scored her first goal, Dale kissing her forehead after she had fallen from the swing……………..

"_Hey there, Jessie." Dale said, walking into the hospital room. _

_Jess looked up from the book in her hands. "Hey dad." She answered, to even making eye contact._

"_So, uh, how you feeling?" he asked, not able to think of anything else to say._

"_How do you think I'm feeling?" Jess growled, almost spat out at him. "I was nearly blown up, I was hit by a car, kidnapped, and shot! I almost died! How the hell do you think I'm feeling?" _

"_I'm sorry, I truly am." Dale sat down in the white chair near the bed. "I just-"_

"_Oh I get it." Jess laughed. "You don't know what to say cause you were never prepared for this. I'd bet you'd be talking up a storm if one of the guys were in my place. But guess what?" Jess pointed at herself. "You got me instead. You never thought that your dearest daughter would be sitting here."_

"_You're right."_

"_Now don't you go agreeing with me! I-"Jess paused. "Wait, I'm right?"_

_Dale nodded. "You are. I was never prepared for this. I never thought that you'd be in this position; I hoped that you never would be. Your brothers, they were getting into all kinds of shit. I prayed that you wouldn't end up like them." Dale shook his head. "No parent ever wants their children in a hospital."_

"_Still, you'd be acting different."_

"_You're my baby girl, of course it would be different."_

Jess snapped out of her daydream as a hand was pressed gently against her shoulder. Nearly jumping out of her seat, Jess turned around to find Don standing behind her.

"Dammit Don, you scared the hell out of me!"

"Really?" Don asked, slightly amused. "I scared the great Jessica Flack? I'm honored." He placed a hand over his heart.

"Dam right you're honored." Jess smirked, but then winced as she stood up.

Don held his hand out for support. "You okay hon? What happened?"

"Let's just say that the suspect me and Martinez went to get today would do great in the majors." Jess rolled up her right pant leg. "Took a piece of PVC pipe right to my shin."

Don whistled at the sight of the huge, nasty bruise. "Do you need to go to the doctor? They said if you should ever-"

Jess shook her head and rolled the pant leg down. "You know me Don, a bruise isn't going to stop me. Even if it hurts like hell." She took his arm. "I am the great Jessica Flack after all."

* * *

"Got any leads yet?" Jess asked as they pulled out of the precinct parking lot.

"Um, we've narrowed the suspect list to less than 5000?" Don tried as his foot hit the gas pedal.

"Hooray! That makes me feel so much better!" Jess said sarcastically, slumping back into the passenger seat. "That's really all that you got?"

"We're trying Jess. Mac's going over every square inch of the crime scenes to find the guy who did this."

"I know, I know." Jess cursed under her breath. "This is just so damn frustrating. The bastard is somewhere in the city and I can't do a damn thing about it."

"We're gonna catch him, no matter how long it takes."

Jess sighed and closed her eyes. "You'll never guess what Nicoli asked me this morning."

"What?" Don asked, quickly glancing at Jess. "If it's about where babies come from…"

"Not exactly. But it was along those lines." Jess bit her lip. "He asked if he's going to have any brothers or sisters."

Don choked. "That kid is way too smart for his age. What did you tell him?" He asked as they pulled into the driveway.

Jess smiled and rested her hand on her stomach. "That he is. I'm pregnant."

* * *

_Well that is the fifth chapter for everyone! Again, I am so sorry for not updating! Please review and I'll try to update soon, the very latest being next Sunday! By the way, I'm also going to be starting a new story about the aftermath of season 5 finale, which I was quite disappointed about! But this story won't have anything to do with the ones I have already started. And on a different note, the chili I am eating is very hot.  
_

_Later days!_

_Yeslek _

_Damn you The Weekenders!!!!!!!!_


	6. Damn snakes

*looks at the calendar* Um oops, it's Monday. Sorry I didn't update yesterday like I said I would, but I went shopping and then saw the new Harry Potter movie with my dad. We didn't get back till 10pm. I also forgot to tell you that the updates may come slowly (as if they aren't already!) as I am volunteering at the cities university for the next 3 weeks. Ha, that's a stupid reason. I went shopping and to the movies. PFFFTTT!

_In the arms of an angel, fly away from here_

_From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear…_

Everyone says that all pregnancies are different, no two the same. Pregnant with Nicoli, Jess had it pretty easy. All in all, it was pretty smooth sailing. Second time around? Not so much.

"God, I am so hungry!" Jess reached for her third apple. She shook her head. "Never was I this hungry with Nic."

Lindsay turned around from the coffee machine. "How far are you?"

"Amustboomuns." Jess held up two fingers and swallowed. "Almost two months."

At that moment Stella walked into the break room. "What's almost two months?"

"Jess is pregnant!" Lindsay instantly said, pointing at her friend.

"Thanks Linds." Jess grumbled, throwing the core in the trash can.

"Ohmygosh! Thisisfantasticnews!" Stella said happily, clearly very excited. "What about Don? What did he say?"

"_Don? You okay?" Jess asked. She noticed something shimmering on his cheeks. "Are you crying?"_

"_Naw."He sniffed. "It's just that the doctors said that it was near impossible for you to be pregnant again."_

_Jess crossed her arms and scoffed. "Yeah, but they also said that I wouldn't come out of a coma, but I did. They also said that I wouldn't be able to have kids. Ever. But I did. Hell Don, if I can get through all  
that…" she reached for his hand. "Then we can get through this."  
_

"That's so sweet!" Stella said. "So what do you want?"

Jess raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Stella put her hands on her hips. "A boy or girl!"

Jess shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know. I never really thought about it." She paused for a moment. "A girl would be nice. Of course it wouldn't matter, as long as they're healthy." Jess smiled. "But yeah, a girl would be nice."

Lindsay took a sip from the mug in her hands. "Lucy does need a best friend. I don't know if she'd like hanging out with gramma for the rest of her life."

Jess looked down at the floor. This baby won't have a grandma (from her side). Or a grandpa for that matter.

Lindsay, of course, had noticed this. "Jess, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Jess shook her head. "It's alright Linds. It's just gonna take some time getting used to. Everything's happening so fast, it's hard to take it all in at once."

Stella walked over to Jess and gave her a one arm hug. "The whole teams here for ya Jess. You're not alone in this."

"Yup!" Lindsay nodded. "We've got your back!"

"Thanks." Jess smiled. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Detective Flack?" A young lab tech called. "There's a package at the front desk for you."

"Really?" Jess questioned, getting up from her spot on the couch. "I'm not expecting anything."

"Do you know who sent this?" Jess asked the secretary, staring at the cardboard box on the desk.

"Nope. I just found it on the desk here with your name on it. I figured it was for you."

"Uh huh." Jess murmured, pulling the string off the box. She was about to flip open the sides when a strange hissing noise was heard.

"You hear that?" Jess asked, her friends nodding. Being very cautious, she gently flipped the sides of the box open. She gasped and jumped back.

An Indian cobra slowly rose out of the box (just meaning that everyone could see it). The brownish-green snake hissed loudly and spread its hood, it's fangs bared.

* * *

"So Jess is pregnant huh?" Danny asked Don as they waited for some results to come in.

Don nodded, smiling like the Cheshire cat. "Yeah, she is. Jess was really excited when she told me. We never really expected to have any more kids with Jess'…" He was cut off by Mac's phone ringing.

"Hey Stel." Mac was quiet while she spoke. "You're positive? We'll be right there."

"What's up?" Danny asked when Mac hung up.

"It seems that we have a situation at the front desk. Jess is face to face with a cobra."

* * *

"Hey, is that a cobra?" Adam asked excitedly as he came up behind Stella and Lindsay. "Gosh, I've never been this close to one before! Except at the zoo of course, but it was behind the glass-"

"Adam, I know that you had a good time at the zoo, but now isn't the time." Jess said through clenched teeth.

"Is animal control here yet?" Stella asked impatiently.

"They'll be another 15 minutes." Lindsay replied, keeping her eyes glued on the cobra.

"You're lucky that the cobra isn't a Fierce snake." Adam explained. "Cobra's aren't as poisonous. But they're venom is neurotoxin and can kill a person in 45 minutes."

"Adam!" Jess yelled as the snake continued to hiss. "Shut the hell up!'

Don ran as fast as his legs would take him. If anything had happened to his wife and unborn child…

"Jess!" He called as they got nearer. "Jess, you okay? How's the baby?"

"We're alright and I've been better." Jess replied, not turning her head knowing that the cobra could strike at any given moment. "Oh my god." Jess squeaked as the snake climbed over the side of the box. "Can't we just shoot the damn thing?"

"That won't be necessary." An employee from animal control said. "You folks have any idea how the snake got here?"

"It was in a package." Jess motioned to the box still on the desk. "I'm sorry, but can we hurry up and get that things out of here?"

* * *

After animal control had gone and taken care of the snake, Jess sat down in an empty chair and sighed in relief.

"Did you seriously get that cobra in the package?" Mac asked, searching the box.

Jess nodded. "I have no clue where it came from."

"A cobra." Mac paused. "It's starting to make sense now. I think I may know who we're dealing with."

"You mean with Jess' case and everything?" Don crossed his arms. "Who you thinking?"

Mac frowned. "Only one of the state's most dangerous gangs."

* * *

_I just realized that this is actually the fifth chapter, shows just how smart I am! Just kidding! So there's the __**fifth**__ chapter for ya! I hope you enjoyed it, so please review!! By the way, the stuff I put about the Fierce snake is all true, so you don't have to worry about me making it up! But what I am making up is the part about the gang, I don't even know what they're called yet! _


End file.
